Cassandra wrenched her bedchamber door open, and he followed her in.
“It’s daylight, you can’t be in here—!”
“I can,” Seth said. He closed the door behind him, placed his hands on her shoulders, and bent down until his face was equal to hers. “What did he say to you?”
She felt as if she were outside of herself as she forced the words out.
“He wishes to enter into… an arrangement.” Through her clouded vision, her shaking hands didn’t look like they belonged to her. “How could this happen?”
Seth wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her with the scent of rosemary. “Don’t enter into anyarrangementswith him. Wait for me to figure this out.”
“I’m out of time.” With gloved fingertips, she swiped at her eyes and tried to straighten her spine, but she crumpled in on herself, heavily leaning back against the door. “Matthew has already agreed to it. And if he hasn’t, he will. It’s our only choice. It’smyonly choice.”
“No, sweetheart, it isn’t. You have choices,” he whispered. “I’ll take care of you. I’ll fix this.”
“There’s no fixing this! We’ll have to sell Cooper House!Everything. Even—”
Me.
“Look at me,” he urged. “That’s not going to happen. I’m not going to let that happen.”
“I’ll never see you again.” She curled her hands in his shirt, grasping it with clenched fingers, desperate for him to hold her together as her world fell apart.
“You will, Ipromiseyou will.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “I swear it, Cassandra, I—”
Unsure which of them made the first move, they melted into a hungry kiss. Caught in a storm, her fingers wove through his hair and she crashed into him, trying to give all of her fears and insecurities to him, as if he could take them from her, as if a kiss could make it all better. Seth held her face with strong hands, and eyes of the deepest blue caressed her own. Time suspended, and in one brief moment, his soul met hers.
“I love you,” he whispered. “Marry me.”
Cassandra froze.
What am I doing?
“Stop.”
Seth stepped back, eyes wide and apologetic. And it only made her feel more wretched. “What’s wrong?”
What was wrong? Everything was wrong! She steeled herself and plastered on a serious expression as, brick by brick, she tried to build her walls around her shattering heart. Forcing words from the lips that had kissed his for the last time, she said, “You can’t talk like that, Mr. Reeves.”
Eyes widening, Seth stammered, “What did you just—” His brows furrowed and hurt tinged his voice. “Talk like what?”
“Like there’s a future for us. I can’t marry you.”
“What if you could? What if I could solve all of this? If I had the means to take care of you—”
“But you don’t! You can scarcely take care of yourself! I have to think of my family. People are starting totalk. My reputation is hanging on by a thread! We aredestitute!”
Seth reached for her hand and she stepped back.
“Do you love me?”
“Please don’t do this.”
“Answer me.”
“I can’t marry you.”
“You said that, and that’s not what I asked.”
